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Caesar Salad

Homemade Caesar salad with garlic croutons is absolutely everyone’s favorite. And the secret of making a very creamy dressing without the raw egg yolk? Japanese mayonnaise.

Once in a while I post non-Japanese dishes that my family enjoys on Just One Cookbook and today I’m sharing my recipe for refreshing Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons!

How To Make Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons シーザーサラダとクルトンの作り方

Refreshing caesar salad with homemade garlic croutons, great party food and use Japanese mayonnaise for an amazing taste.

A few weeks ago, I shared a picture of my Tamago Sando (Tamago Salad Sandwich) along with Caesar Salad on my Instagram and Facebook, and many of you pinged me on how I make the Caesar Salad dressing. It is probably not the most authentic Caesar Salad recipe you will find, but people that have tried my salad really like it so I’m happy to share my recipe with you.

The Trick of Japanese Mayonnaise in Caesar Salad

The most unique and different part of my Caesar Salad dressing is that I use Japanese mayonnaise. I know, the authentic recipe would not use mayonnaise: it would use raw egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, and vegetable oil… but wait, these ingredients are exactly the same ingredients for making Japanese mayonnaise!

Unlike American mayonnaise, Japanese mayonnaise uses only egg yolks. So, it’s actually very close to what we need for the Caesar Salad dressing (with additional ingredients for the salad dressing, of course)!

Prior to writing this post, I’ve never purchased an American mayonnaise, but I got myself one out of curiosity! And I did a taste test between Japanese mayo and American mayo.

Japanese Mayo vs. American Mayo

Japanese mayo (I use Kewpie mayonnaise) definitely has stronger egg taste (delicious!) due to the egg yolk in the mayonnaise. It is tangy, yet mild, not overwhelmingly sour because rice vinegar is used. The mayonnaise is also slightly sweet and over all it’s rich in flavor, thicker and creamier.

Compared to Japanese mayonnaise, American mayo tastes more bland, lacks of flavors and richness, and sort of bleh. I now know why many people are not fond of using mayonnaise in recipes here in the U.S. while most of Japanese love their mayonnaise.

For those of you who have a concern about using the raw eggs in the Caesar Salad recipe, I highly recommend using Japanese mayonnaise. And you might discover the love of Japanese mayonnaise and perhaps even be inspired to make Japanese Potato Salad and drizzle mayo on Okonomiyaki and Takoyaki. Okay, I am getting off topic so let me get back to Caesar Salad.

Homemade Croutons

As for the croutons, you can easily purchase a bag of croutons in American grocery stores. However, croutons are SUPER easy to make and it lasts for a week in an airtight bag when refrigerated. This way you can enjoy different salads everyday with the homemade croutons. You just have to make one big batch on the first day (or when you have leftover bread).

What kind of bread is the best?

I like to use Ciabatta bread (more crust!), but you can use French baguette, or any French/Italian loaf bread. It’s best if it’s a day old. It doesn’t have to be, but the slightly stale bread is often used. To me, it’s a great way to use up any leftover bread the next day after a dinner party.

Can you season the croutons in Caesar Salad?

Today I made the simple croutons with extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and freshly ground black peppers. However, you could add Parmesan cheese, herbs (oregano, basil, or thyme are good choices!), and/or spices you enjoy to make some variations. With homemade croutons, you can make what you like, so it’s more fun!

I like to use only olive oil for my croutons but some use butter only, or half olive oil and half butter. I like olive oil because it’s ready to use (no prep) and healthier.

If you decide to use garlic like I do, make sure to let the finely minced garlic infuses the olive oil a few minutes before coating the bread. The little thing helps to make croutons taste better!

I hope you enjoy making Caesar Salad with homemade croutons! If you try it, don’t forget to share your picture on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter with #JustOneCookbook. Thank you so much for reading, and till next time!

Preheat the oven to 400F. Crush the garlic clove (or finely mince it) into a large bowl. Add olive oil, salt, pepper, and mix well. Let the garlic infuse the olive oil for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the bread and cut into about ¾ inch (2 cm) cubes.

Add the bread cubes into the bowl and toss until the bread is lightly and evenly coated with the olive oil. Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake at 400F for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn once halfway through cooking in order to brown all sides of the croutons. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the bread cubes (mine is about 15-20 minutes). Remove from oven and cool on wire rack completely. After cooling, use immediately, or store in an air-tight container/bag for up to 1 week.

For the Caesar Salad

In a large bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and whisk until dressing is thick and glossy. The dressing can be made one day in advance.

Cut the romaine lettuce into bite size pieces and wash them. Drain and dry thoroughly so that the dressing won’t be diluted.

Gently toss the lettuce and dressing, and then top off with the grated or shaved Parmesan cheese and croutons.

Notes

I personally LOVE the addition of anchovy fillets and consider it's one of the important flavors in the dressing; however, if you really can't take anchovy, use ¼ tsp. Worcestershire sauce instead. :)

Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.

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You can’t beat a really good Caesar salad. I’ve been tempted to pick up some Japanese mayo to use in sushi but the price seemed excessive with how rarely I make it. It’s nice to see another way to use it up before it goes bad.

I love Caesar salad with Mayo! I was craving it a lot when I was preganant with my younger son. My children are half Chinese and half American. I craved Chinese food when I was pregnant with my older son and all American fares with my younger son. lol Thank you for this recipe! I love Japanese Mayo, I would dip everything in it, even French fries.

You’re so right that American commercial mayo is blah! Hellman’s (called “Best” in part of the country) is OK. Duke’s (found primarily in the South) might be a bit better. Best of all, of course, is one’s own. Which is what we normally do. And usually make our own croutons, too — so much better. Anyway, this is a terrific salad. Love the idea of using Japanese mayo in it — gotta try that. Thanks!

I do love caesar salads. If I’m making one, I’ll make my own mayonnaise. I’m with you on the bought varieties – they’re not often very good. It’s lunchtime and your salad would be perfect for me right now xx

This is such a smart idea! Like your way of thinking! 😉 I’m a huge fan of Kewpie mayo. I always have a bottle in my fridge. Even though I am not really concern about egg yolk safety, I like easy shortcut. Using the mayo will be so much easier. Going to try soon!

Homemade croutons are amazing but I am so very curious about using Japanese mayonnaise in the dressing! I have never been a fan of mayonnaise but maybe I need to give the Japanese variety a try. Thanks, Nami!

Oh my, homemade croutons! I won’t be able to resist nibbling on each cube while I’m prepping them. Thanks for the recipe and photos to show how to do it. This salad paired with the croquettes from an earlier recipe will be perfect. Thanks, Namiko!

I know it sounds weird but I think I must have had Caesar salad maybe twice in my life… I have never made it actually… Yours sounds much more exciting that I have always seen it; Japanese mayonnaise is one of the main reasons I guess, but also your beautiful presentation.